Folding dollhouse book



26, 1952 R. M. BLAN D 2,608,026

FOLDING DOLL-HOUSE BOOK Filed Aug. 8, 1949 6b 6b aa M 6a K 6a I NVENTOR,

RosE M. BLAND A TTORNE Y.

Patented Aug. 26, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlcs Rose M. Bland, St. Louis, Mo. Application August 8, 1949, Serial No. 109,129

This invention relates to toy doll house units for the use and enjoyment of children, and relates more particularly to a toy doll house constructed in the form of a foldable book that mayv be folded up when not in use by the child, or may be opened up for use so as torepresent several rooms separated bypartitions, all of said rooms being ornamented or pictured as may be desired.

The chief object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a foldable book or unit of the kind referred to, the same comprising an elongated backing or back strip of pasteboard or any other suitable material, this said back strip being foldably increased, transversely of its length, at equally spaced points, for providing equally dimensioned end walls at theends of the strip and back walls for representing a number of separate dollhouse rooms, said rooms being demarked by the said folding creases of the back strip and by partition strips foldably attached at their inner ends to the back strip, at or in the folding creases thereof, whereby the creased back-strip and partition strips may be folded up together in book like form, or may be opened up and set up in.

simulation of a toy doll house, with the ends of the strip turned angularly or perpendicularly inward for supporting the unit in upright position and for representing the end walls of the dollhouse, and the interior partition strips may be opened perpendicularly inward to represent and define the several rooms of the doll-house.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a toy doll house of the kind described, an elon gated back-strip of appropriately stiff material, the same being regularly and equally creased, transversely of its length, and alternately on each side of the strip, so as to be foldable compactly together in bellow-like folds.

With the stated objects in view, together with such other objects and. advantages as may appear from the following specification, attention is now directed to the accompanying drawing wherein Figure 1 is a frontal elevation of a foldable toy doll house book, as constructed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the assembly or unit as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figure 2, showing however outer room closure strips as foldably attached at one end to the outer ends of the room partition strips.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the foldable doll house unit as substantially folded up together, for storage when not in use.

1 Claim. (CI. 46-21) In practicing this invention, I provide an elongated back-strip 5 of suitably heavy pasteboard or other suitable material for the purpose, this strip being out to suitable length and width, and being transversely creased or grooved, alternately at opposite sides thereof, as indicated at 5a and 5b, in regular and equi-spaced relation as shown.

Thus transversely creased and demarked at regular and equi-spaced intervals, it is obvious that the strip 5 may be folded up together, in a bellows-like manner as shown in Figure 4, to a form closely resembling a book, but yet difiering from a book in its bellows-like manner of closing up for storage. This manner of folding is made feasible by the mode of alternately creasing or grooving the back-strip 0n opposite sides thereof, as shown at 5a, 5b. Of course, and in lieu of this method of creasing the back-strip 5, this strip might be cut clear through and parted at these points 511, 5b, and then the several parts re-joined by means of flexible hinge strips of fabric (not shown) suitably glued in place upon the adjacent margins of the parts. I A number of room partition strips .6, of pasteboard or the like, are hingedly and foldably secured at their inner ends to the back-strip 5, at

l the creased or folding points 5a, 51), thereof, and

these partition strips are thus arranged to open inwardly perpendicularly to the out-stretched back-strip 5, as room defining elements. These partition strips 6 are substantially equal in length to the width of the several divisionsof the back strip 5, but may be of lesser height, as may be found desirable.

In setting up this doll-house, the back-strip 5 is straightened out, and then the ends thereof are turned perpendicularly inward for sustaining the device in vertical position upon the floor. The room partition strips 6 are then also turned perpendicularly inward for defining the several rooms 7, 8, 9, In. If desired, outer room closure strips Ba (Figure 3) may be foldably connected, as at 6b, to the outer ends of the partition strips 6 and'to an outer end of the back-strip 5, as turned inwardly, for more completely demarking and defining the several rooms.

When not in use the entire assembly of foldable back-strip 5, partition strips 6 and outer closure strips to, may be collapsed and folded up compactly together, as shown in Figure 4. Also, the inner walls or surfaces of the back-strip and partition strips may be pictured and decorated as I may be desired, as indicated in Figure 1, and paste-board toy furniture may be placed therein. Such features however are purely optional and constitute no inventive feature or claim. Obviously, the number of ,rooms for this doll house may be increased or diminished, as desired, by merely varying the length of the strip 5 and the number of the transverse folding creases 5a, 5b, and the number of the partition strips 6 and 6a.

And while I have here shown and described a particular embodiment of the invention and particular structural features thereof, the same may be changed asdesired, within the scope of the claim.

I claim:

A folding doll house book comprising an elongated strip of material of suitable. length and width, said strip being creased transversely of its length at five equally spaced intervals from endto-end, the central crease and the two end, creases being formed at one side of the strip and the two intermediate creases being formed upon the opposite side of the strip, whereby the several demarked portions of the strip may be folded compactly together in a zigzag manner, and With the end portions similarly folded outwardly of the intermediate portions to constitute covers for the book, room partition strips foldably connected at their inner ends to the crease-joints of the intermediate portions of the strip and adapted to open angularly outwardly therefrom to represent 4 rooms of the doll house with parallel side walls or to fold compactly inwardly with the other portions of the strip when not in use and outer room-closure strips respectively foldably connected at creasing ends to the outer ends of the room partition strips for defining the outer limits of the rooms and all of said room closure strips having their free swinging side edges extending in the same direction when. room-closure positions to provide. for opening movements of. the room-closure strips at the same side of each room.

ROSE M. BLAND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Makraines May 4, 1948 

